Monday, December 30, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week's quote is from "Discount Armageddon" by Seanan McGuire, which is a really fun read. The best thing by far about the book were the Aesir Mice, a breed of talking mice who live with the main character and always have a reason to celebrate.

“Didn't we talk about this?""HAIL!""That isn't an answer." I planted my hands on my hips. "Was there a reason for shoving the gummy bears off the counter? Did they tell you they were suicidal? On second thought," I raised a hand, palm out, "don't answer that. If the candy is talking, I don't want to know.”"The container blocked the Sacred Route of Celebration!" announced one of the junior priests.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

That's an impossible question!

I'll break it down by genre, I don't see any other way around it, since I have three favorite books this year.

Contemporary YA: "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

Fantasy/Children's books: "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

Fantasy YA: "Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

"Allegiant", by Veronica Roth. I couldn't wait to read this book, since it was the final book in a series I loved. I have been trying to get my friends to read it for years. Sadly, "Allegiant" wasn't nearly as well-written as the other two books in the series.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.I honestly had no idea how brilliant a writer Gaiman is before I read this novel.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.I'll never get tired of saying this: the writing is gorgeous and the story and characters are amazing, too.If you haven't read it yet, read it. Read it right now.READ IT!You won't be disappointed, I swear.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

I didn't start that many series this year, and I didn't like most of them.One series I found out about in 2013 and I loved was William Joyce's "The Guardians" series. The writing and the art were gorgeous.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Rainbow Rowell. I had never heard of her before this September. Since then I have read both her YA contemporary books and adored them.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

"Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler is a novelized biography, which is not a genre I thought I would like, but I loved this novel.I'm glad I decided to step outside my comfort zone this time around.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Judging by how long it took me to read it, I'll say "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.

I mean, it's more than 300 pages long and I read it in one afternoon, if that's not unputdownable I don't know what is.

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. Like I said before, the writing is gorgeous, I don't think I'll get tired of rereading this book anytime soon.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell. It has such a pretty cover, behold!

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

Wow, that's a really hard question. I'm going to say Silas, from "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, because he was a really cool and somewhat tragic character.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

"The Graveyard Book", without a doubt. I'm sure you're all sick and tired of hearing me rant about the sheer beauty of the prose in this novel, but I just can't help it.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell, because it is the book that reminded me why I love writing.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

"The Graveyard Book", again. I kept seeing it everywhere and was convinced I wouldn't like it.I have never been more wrong in all my life.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

I have a lot of those, but if I had to choose, I think I'd take this quote "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell.When I'm writing my own stuff, it's like swimming upstream.Or… falling down a cliff and grabbing at branches,trying to invent the branches as Ifall.
Cath is actually talking about fanfiction writing versus writing original stories, but it's actually pretty spot on on how writing feels like, period. And it's one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

"The Red and the Black" by Stendhal wins with 607 pages, since it's nine pages longer than "House of Hades" by Rick Riordan, which came in as a close second.

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman is probably the shortest novel I've read, since it's just 108 pages long.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

"Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare.

I couldn't wait to talk about about it with a friend of mine, who loves this books as much as I do.

Sadly, I had to wait, because she threatened me very creatively when I suggested spoiling her.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Romantic is probably the one between Levi and Cath in "Fangirl"

I actually have two favorite friendship relationship this year. Will and Jem from "Clockwork Princess" have a wonderful, epic bromance, which is probably my favorite relationship in the whole series.Aziraphale and Crowley's friendship in "Good Omens" is very different than Will and Jem's, but I love it just as much, maybe even more. They ostensibly only hang out together because they are the only members of their species present on earth, but it's clear they care deeply for one other. The guardian-ward relationship Silas and Bod had going in "The Graveyard Book" was adorable, too.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

"Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare and "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.

I loved both this books to pieces.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

My attempt to be spontaneous and read books based on recommendations alone didn't go over that well.

One book I've hated and the other was okay, so I'll go with the one I found okay, which is "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

YA

You weren't expecting that, were you?

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Crowley from "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, otherwise known as "an angel who didn't so much fall as saunter vaguely downward."

Yeah, I just had to quote "Good Omens" in this post. I could't help myself.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

"The Reece Malcolm List" by Amy Spalding. I loved this book and it had me thinking for a very long time, which is always a plus.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. If I closed my eyes, I could see the graveyard perfectly in my mind, and I really loved the world-building in this book. For example the way the society of the graveyard worked was very clever.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell, reading it put me in such a good mood.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

I usually don't cry about books. Get incredibly depressed, yes. Giggle like a maniac, yes. Cry, no. One book I did get emotional about this year was "Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare. I have spent years obsessing about this series, I hardly can believe it's over.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

I have the impression that "The Reece Malcolm List" was overlooked by a lot of people.It's a shame, because this novel actually was really good.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

"The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Honestly, I have no excuses as to why I haven't read this book yet, I just keep getting distracted by other books I want to read.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

"City of Heavenly Fire" by Cassandra Clare. I have been obsessing over this books for two years.

Two years, people.

Honestly it's about time this book was released.

And if Alec and Magnus don't get back together, so help me...

Um, sorry, I got a bit carried away.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

"Defy" by Sarah B. Larson, because it promises a badass female main character.

And I need more of that in my life.

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

"City of Heavenly Fire".

I'm sure you don't want to got through the whole thing I did above once more.

So let's move on!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I want to start reading the books that have been on my TBR list for ages, instead of being distracted by shiny new releases all the time.

So, what are your answers to this survey? Let me know in the comments!

What are you currently reading? I'm halfway through"The Shadowhunter's Codex" by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis and I about forty percent into "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Ann Fowler, which I bough on a whim and is actually really good.

What did you recently read? I actually haven't finished anything since last week (shame on me), since I spent most of my free time looking for Christmas presents.

What will you be reading next? I got a book for Christmas, which I actually wasn't expecting, it's been such a long time since anyone has gotten me a book, so I'll read that one next. It's a volume with the first two books of "1Q84" by Haruki Murakami. So what's your WWW for this week? Let me know in the comments!Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and if you don't, I wish you a lovely day!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten was of books I wouldn't mind Santa bringing me, in no particular order. All these novels have all been on my TBR list for a while.

Monday, December 23, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week's quote is from "the Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, which is a new favorite novel of mine.

Silas said, “Out there, the man who killed your family is, I believe, still looking for you, still intends to kill you.”

Bod shrugged. “So?” he said. “It’s only death. I mean, all of my best friends are dead.”

“Yes.” Silas hesitated. “They are. And they are, for the most part, done with the world. You are not. You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you’re dead, it’s gone. Over. You’ve made what you’ve made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”

Friday, December 20, 2013

I chose to read "Catching Fire" after seeing the movie. I had tried to before, but had never got past the first few chapters. Surprisingly enough, I liked the movie better than the book. Which is one of the things I'd never thought I'd say.It's not that "Catching Fire" is bad, per se: it's fast-paced and quite well-written. I read it in a day, simply because after the admittedly slow start, I couldn't tear myself away. And yet, I didn't like it all that much. Why?The cryptic short answer is: "Catching Fire" relies too heavily on this message.Let me explain: Collins wants her reader to feel rage for the ways of the Capitol and in doing so, make them reflect on in which ways it's similar to how we live. Got it. Great message. Just one problem: if Collins simply wanted to write a critique of our society, she should have written an essay about it. What she did was write a novel to get her point across. And in a novel, the message always, always comes in second to the plot. There's no way around it. The reader won't care enough to absorb the message if they don't care about the characters. And in this novel, the characters are cardboard figures the reader cares nothing about.I can think of one single emotional moment in the whole books that gave characters other than Katniss the possibility to become relatable. One. It isn't terrible if a bunch of faceless, emotionless beings that don't even exist and, thus that I have no inclination to care about, die of starvation, or in a war, or if they suffer under the rule of a despotic government. They aren't real people, so it's not a tragedy. The key is that they have to seem real. I have to find out what makes them tick, I need to see them happy, I need to feel their despair Then I'll care, then I'll feel enraged. And not a moment sooner. And I didn't care in "Catching Fire". At all. The movie was a lot better in this angle; I was constantly fighting back tears through scenes that were glossed over in the book: the reaping, the interviews... The novel never takes the time to breathe and show most of the moments that are emotionally challenging for the characters. The moments that are designed to make me care. I'll still give this books three stars, for the writing and for the pacing, but it barely deserves them.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Its purpose it to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new blogs,

befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.

Each week bloggers answer a different question. This week's question is: what books do you want for Christmas?

Well, nobody gives me books for Christmas anymore (mostly because I usually don't ask for specific gifts and gifting me with books is hard) so it's not a question I have asked myself in a while. If I had to choose, I'd ask for these books:

"The Chaos of Stars" by Kiersten White, because it has such a pretty cover, as well as "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, because it has such gorgeous drawings (that aren't nearly as good in the kindle version, sadly) are two books whose physical copy I'd love to get for Christmas.

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Shadowhunter's Codex" by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis. It's so cool, I love it! Yea, I am a complete shadowhunters nerd and I have no shame!

What did you recently read? "Catching Fire", it was about time I read it, so in honor of the film release, I finally pushed past the first few chapters. I'll post a review in the next couple of days.

What will you be reading next? "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes has been on my TBR list for ages, and I really want to read "Chaos of Stars" by Kieresten White. So what's you WWW for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten was of authors that are new to me and whose books I read this year. 10. Ingrid Paulson: I have mixed feelings about her novel, "Valkyrie Rising", but there definitely were some interesting aspects. 9. A.C. Kavich: Her novel "The Twilight Swimmer" was really good. I'll have to keep an eye on her. 8. Leah Rae Miller : I read her debut novel, "The Summer I Became a Nerd", which was pure fluff, but it was a lot of fun. I'll keep an eye on her for when I'm in the mood for some fluffy bit of chick lit. 7. Michelle Diener: Her novel "Emperor's conspiracy" was one of the first books I read in 2013. Historical romance isn't usually my cup of tea, but I really loved this one. 6. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: I read Le Fanu's "Carmilla" this summer and, I've got to say, it's one of the best vampire books I've ever read. He has written a lot of horror works, I'll check out some of them soon. 5. Tom Holt: His fantasy novel "Expecting Someone Taller" was really good and hilarious. I want to read "Earth, Air, Fire and Custard" next. 4. William Joyce: Lewis was right: a good children story has to be enjoyable for adults, too, and Joyce's "Guardians" was exactly that. The story was good, not dumbed-down and the artwork was gorgeous. 3. Amy Spalding: Her contemporary YA novel, "The Reece Malcolm List" was an amazing read. Her second work, "Ink is Thicker Than Water" came out a couple of weeks ago and it's on my TBR list. 2. Rainbow Rowell: It's not a mystery that I loved "Fangirl" and that "Eleanor and Park" was really good, so it's no wonder that Rowell is so high on this list. I have to read her debut novel, "Attachments", soon. 1. Neil Gaiman: All right, I'm cheating. I read some of Gaiman's books before 2013. But I never realized how brilliant he was. I considered him an ok writer. So he did end up being the biggest author revelation of 2013 for me.
So, what new authors did you find out about in 2013? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, December 16, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week's quote is from "Divergent" by Veronica Roth, which is a favorite read of mine. I just love this bit.

I walk slowly around him. On his back is more ink than skin. The symbols of each faction are drawn there—Dauntless at the top of his spine, Abnegation just below it, and the other three, smaller, beneath them. For a few seconds I look at the scales that represent Candor, the eye that stands for Erudite, and the tree that symbolizes Amity. It makes sense that he would tattoo himself with the symbol of Dauntless, his refuge, and even the symbol of Abnegation, his place of origin, like I did. But the other three?

“I think we’ve made a mistake,” he says softly. “We’ve all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don’t want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.” He clears his throat. “I continually struggle with kindness.”

So, what are your favorite quotes this week? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, December 9, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week I chose to quotes from "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins, which I read this weekend. It was quite dark, but there were a few funny moments, like these.

Really, the combination of the scabs and the ointment looks hideous. I can't help enjoying his distress."Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" I say."It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" he asks."Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it," I say."Not if I keep looking at you," he says.”

“I'm going to wake Peeta," I say."No, wait," says Finnick. "Let's do it together. Put our faces right in front of his."Well, there's so little opportunity for fun left in my life, I agree. We position ourselves on either side of Peeta, lean over until our faces are inches frim his nose, and give him a shake. "Peeta. Peeta, wake up," I say in a soft, singsong voice.His eyelids flutter open and then he jumps like we've stabbed him. "Aa!"Finnick and I fall back in the sand, laughing our heads off. Every time we try to stop, we look at Peeta's attempt to maintain a disdainful expression and it sets us off again.”

Friday, December 6, 2013

I have a lot to say about this book. I think it's the one I like best in this series, the one I had more fun reading, the one that has some of the best moments. Interestingly, it's also the one who has the most things I don't like.

It's because in "House of Hades", Riordan took more risks than he did in the last few books, which were, admittedly, kind of bland. And risks sometimes pay off and sometimes they don't, but at the end of the day, risks need to be taken for something to be memorable.

First things first: the humor. In this book, it touched some of its highest and lowest points. What I hated the most was Gale the farting polecat. I mean... really? That was a new low.

The part with Nyx was brilliant. I actually laughed out loud, which I don't do much while reading, I usually just sort of grin if the scene is funny enough. And it's incredible it's in the same book as Gale.

On the character development angle, this book was great. I especially liked what Riordan did with Nico. I'm not going to spoil what it is, but I thought that was great, and I'm really glad it was included, both because I think it's an important theme and because it was very well-done. I also liked Jason's character. He wasn't that interesting in the last few books, but in this one, both his conflict and his actions worked to make him more likable and relatable.

Annabeth and Percy's romance was very sweet but not cheesy or over-the-top, which it could easily have been, given the predicament they were in. Another love story I liked was Leo's. He and his love interest work very well as a couple and though they met and fell for each other quite fast, it didn't feel forced or overly dramatic. I hope to see more of them in the last book.

The part set in Tartarus was really interesting, both because the stakes are higher than usual for the main characters, because they don't know what will happen to them if they die in the Pit, and because it rises a series of interesting questions about destiny, wether or not monsters are able to choose their role - and if the demigods were really justified in killing them.

That, as well as other situations in the book, proves to be morally challenging for the heroes. I liked that side a lot - you don't see that very often, especially in middle grade level books.

"House of Hades" was great, and I can hardly wait for the sequel to come out.

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Shadowhunter's Codex" by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis.

What did you recently read? I finished "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan yesterday. I think that out of Heroes of Olympus, this book is my favorite, and I'll post a review of it soon

What will you be reading next? "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I want to check out "Adamant" by Kieran Wisser, mostly because I'm on a mythology withdrawal now that I'm done with "Heroes of Olympus", and this book sounded fun. So what's you WWW for this week? Post the link in the comments or, if you don't have a blog, answer directly in the comments!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

*I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*
I really enjoyed this book. I have read so many paranormal romances, I didn't think one would be able to surprise me that much, but this one definitely did. I love how Kavich worked around the typical paranormal romance tropes, for example when the Swimmer watches Brandy at night and she finds out. She reacts like pretty much any human being would in that situation: she freaks out and she yells at him, even though he didn't know that something like that was socially unacceptable. Also, I loved the way their love story unfolds: it felt quite natural and there were some really sweet moments that didn't get too cheesy. I also enjoyed the way the love square was handled and resolved. I usually hate love squares - I mean, I can take love triangles, but love squares is just pushing it. This one didn't bother me because it wasn't presented as though three guys suddenly felt some great and tragic love for the same girl. The human boys just seemed to have the hots for her and were trying to get a date, which is a lot more realistic. The way it was resolved was also great, but I won't give anything more away on that front. There were some things I didn't like that much, though. First off, I would have liked the see a bit more of exploration on the mystery angle, so as to create a bit more tension on that side.Then, I don't really like the way Brandy's mother was handled: she felt really one-dimensional, I would be interested in seeing some development on her and her relationship with her children.Thirdly, Brandy's anorexia wasn't handled that well - or at all. Anorexia is an important issue and it's also important to handle it well. It's not resolved (or at least, it didn't feel like it was), it's never explored and Brandy does not suffer any consequences from it. If she really ate so little she should be physically very weak and unable to do the sort of stuff she keeps doing throughout the book.That being said, the good aspects outweighed the bad and I definitely recommend it, especially if you're tired paranormal romance novels that are all basically the same.

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Shadowhunter's Codex" by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis, and I just started reading "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan.

What did you recently read? "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan. I really, really liked it.

What will you be reading next? Next on my list are "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I want to check out "Hild" by Nicola Griffith. So what's you WWW for this week? Post the link in the comments or, if you don't have a blog, answer directly in the comments!

Monday, November 25, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week there are two quotes, both from "Neverwhere", by Neil Gaiman. A truly wonderful book, I definitely recommend it.

Richard wrote a mental diary in his head.Dear Diary, he began. On Friday I had a job, a fiancée, a home, and a life that made sense. (Well, as much as an life makes sense). Then I found an injured girl bleeding on the pavement and I tried to be Good Samaritan. Now I've got no fiance, no home, no job, and I'm walking around a couple of hundred feet under the streets of London with the projected life expectancy of a suicidal fruit fly.

“We have to get the... the thing I got... to the Angel. And then he'll tell Door about her family, and he'll tell me how to get home."Lamia looked at Hunter with delight. "And he can give you brains," she said, cheerfully, "and me a heart.”

So, what are your favorite quotes this week? Let me know in the comments!

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Shadowhunter's Codex" by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis, and I'm about halfway through "Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan.

What did you recently read? "The Twilight Swimmer" by A.C. Kavich, which was pretty good, I'll post a review in the next couple of days.

What will you be reading next? Next on my list is "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan. I also want to read "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and "Attachments". So what's you WWW for this week? Post the link in the comments or, if you don't have a blog, answer directly in the comments!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten was of books I'd recommend to a person of my choosing. Since I am often asked which novels I'd recommend to someone who wants to get into fantasy, I chose that kind of person for my list. These are not necessarily the best fantasy books around, but I think that they would be able to interest the reader enough to urge them to look further into the genre whilst also give them a clear idea what sort of books they will find and easing them gently into the genre.
Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
The Name of the Wind by Patrick RothfussClockwork Angel by Cassandra ClareA Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
So, which are the ten books you'd recomend to a person of your choosing? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, November 18, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

This week's quote is from "The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa. I really liked this book, especially the banter between Puck and Ash, so this quote reflects that aspect.

Ash blinked. "Are you raiding the cellars now, Goodfellow?"

"Me? Stealing?" Puck flashed a devious grin and popped another fruit into his mouth. "In the house of my ancient enemy? What gave you that idea?" He plucked another fruit and tossed it to me with a wink.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

"Eleanor & Park" is a brilliant novel. It's cleverly put together and gorgeously written. The characters are very well developed. One of Rowell's greatest talents lies in creating understandable characters: the motive of pretty much everyone in the story is something the reader can relate to. Of course there are some characters whose actions are inexcusable, like Eleanor's stepfather. The main character's dynamic was also very well done. It did the thing I care the most about in a romance: it felt real. I can imagine these people being together in real life: they had things in common and they connected on a platonic level before they started being attracted to each other. By all accounts, this should have been 5-star read. And for a while, it was. What made me drop the rating were the last few chapters. In order to give the reader closure the novel kept going for several pages after the story itself had ended. I feel that in that it fell short. The things that happen in those last pages are mostly things I didn't care to know. I would have wanted more information on Tina's motives and how the situation with Eleanor's stepfather and the rest of her family is resolved. We do know (spoiler) that they are gone, but we don't really know what happened: did Sabrina rebel and leave her husband? Where did they go? (end of spoiler)In spite of that, "Eleanor & Park" is an awesome book and I definitely recommend it. Though, be warned: it's a lot less lighthearted than Rowell's second YA book "Fangirl", so keep a box of tissues at hand if you choose to read it.

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Twilight Swimmer" by A.C. Kavich. I'm one third in and I really like it for now.

What did you recently read? "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell. It's very good and I'll post a review in the next couple of days.

What will you be reading next? I really want to read "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan and "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I'll probably pick Rainbow Rowell's first novel, "Attachments", in the next couple of days. So what's you WWW for this week? Post the link in the comments or, if you don't have a blog, answer directly in the comments!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

10. Revelations. The cover of the first book is gorgeous, this is just generic and plain unimaginative.

9. City of Lost Souls. This looks like a series B romance novel. I wish they had put Isabelle on the cover: this book did a lot to develop her character and she has never been on the cover before, unlike Jace and Clary.

8. Behemoth. I don't understand why they had to change the design of the Leviathan series - the original, clockwork motif was beautiful, I wish they'd kept it.

7. Odd and the Frost Giants. I really don't like this cover. I think that something hand-drawn in cold, soft hues would have worked better.

6. All those covers with girls in ball gowns standing in completely random places. It's unimaginative and more often than not it has nothing to do with the story.

5. The original Harry Potter covers. They already have been redesigned and I've got to say I like the new design a lot better: it keeps the style of the old one, but looks better.

4. Obsidian. A girl hugging a relatively hot boy. That's what I have to look forward to, book? Yawn. I would have liked something more dynamic.

3. The Summoning. This cover is unoriginal and quite flat. I would have liked something hand-drawn in rich reds and purples.

2. Allegiant. I don't like the color, I don't like the symbol. I would have preferred something faction-related, maybe Abnegation or something which incorporates the signs of the five factions.

1. Born at Midnight. I hate this cover. It puts me off reading the book. The model looks possessed, the hot pink writings are out of place. I think that something with a mono-colored symbol on a simple backdrop would have looked better.

So, what are the top ten covers you wish you could redesign? Let me know in the comments!

What are you currently reading? I'm reading "The Twilight Swimmer" by A.C. Kavich and "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell. I'm enjoying both for now, but I'm not that far into "The Twilight Swimmer" yet.

What did you recently read? "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth, which I hated, and the "Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan which was pretty good.

What will you be reading next? "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan and "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. So what's you WWW for this week? Post the link in the comments or, if you don't have a blog, answer directly in the comments!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten was of the sequels I can't wait to get my hands on. The first five books are actually sequels I keep meaning to read but for some reason never do. 10. School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride) by James Patterson
9. The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey) by Julie Kagawa8. Underworld (Abandon Trilogy) by Meg Cabot
7. Behemoth (Leviathan) by Scott Westerfeld
6. The Song of the Quarkbeast (The Last Dragonslayer) by Jasper Fforde
5. The Hangman's Revolution (W.A.R.P.) by Eoin Colfer
4. The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller Chronicles) by Patrick Rothfuss3. Revelations (Elysium Chronicles) by J.A. Souders2. Mark of Athena (Heroes Of Olympus) by Rick Riordan1. City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

Monday, November 4, 2013

"Quote-Tastic" is a meme hosted every Monday on Herding Cats & Burning Soup . To participate you have to post a favorite quote from a current or past read.

I'm kind of astonished I haven't posted anything from Cassandra Clare's books before, since I love them and they are full of funny quotes. This one's from City of Ashes, the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. During the course of the whole book one of the characters, Alec, is trying to keep his relationship a secret. Poor guy, he just doesn't get how bad he is at being deceiving. It's actually sort of cute.

"You have something on your neck," he observed.

Alec's hand flew to his throat. "What?"

"Looks like a bite mark," said Jace. "What were you doing out all night, anyway?"

"Nothing." Beet red, his hand still clamped to his neck, Alec started down the corridor. Jace followed him.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Beware. There be spoilers. Alright. Let's review this train-wreck.How is this possible? How can the woman who wrote such a good debut novel fail to deliver so spectacularly in this book? I thought that writers were supposed to get better through experience, not worse.Apparently, Veronica Roth is the exception to that rule. If Divergent was awesome and Insurgent was pretty good, this book continued the downwards spiral and ended up being terrible.The book is told from both Tris's and Four's point of views, a choice I don't really understand, since this has always been Tris's story, right from the start. I get why she had to do it, but I think she should have come up with a different way to patch up the holes that using only Tris as a narrator left in her story. Especially since she is clearly not able to give Tobias's voice the same charm that she gave Tris's. Mostly because he sounds exactly like her. The book was full of plot holes. The whole genetic experiment thing didn't make a whole lot of sense. Scientists should know better than pick a large number of people from different backgrounds, tamper with their genes and then just send them out into the world. Couldn't they have started with a bunch of volunteers and put them in a facility like Tris's Chicago and see what came out of it, instead? It would have made a tad bit more sense. And then to the ending. Which I hated, and not because I wanted an happy ending. I mean, I wanted an happy ending, but I can enjoy endings that don't go the way I want them to if they feel natural.Tris's death didn't feel natural. It didn't feel like the story was supposed to have that result, like there just wasn't any other way. It felt like it had been constructed in order to give Tris the possibility to sacrifice herself. The ending was rushed, and the epilogue was just a way to tell us through exposition what a bunch of characters I don't really care about did after Tris's death. It didn't have any real purpose in the story, it didn't serve to establish the message. If anything, it made it more confusing - since we went from "we can't be defined by our genes" to "life sucks, but some moments don't". This novel was a huge disappointment. I was really excited for it and it was just a mess. You're better off not reading it. It felt convoluted and rushed and it didn't give me a sense of closure at all.